Gov. Patrick urges drivers to stay off roads after noon Friday

In the face of a major snowstorm, Gov. Deval L. Patrick today urged employers to keep workers home Friday and asked drivers to stay off roads after noon to assist snow removal and emergency vehicles.

Mr. Patrick said commuter rail service statewide and Boston subway and bus services will shut down at 3:30 p.m. and all non-emergency state workers are being ordered to work from home Friday. He urged all school districts in the state to call off school Friday.

The precautions come as the state’s emergency response agencies prepare for blizzard conditions expected to strike Friday afternoon, with high winds and heavy snowfall lasting through Saturday afternoon.

“Accumulation is expected to be swift, heavy and dangerous,” the governor said at a Statehouse briefing this evening.

“At noon tomorrow all vehicles should be off the roads. This is both for the safety of drivers and to enable road clearing and emergency personnel to do their jobs.”

The governor said the latest weather models show light snow beginning Friday morning and intensifying through the day with the heaviest bands of snow expected between 2 and 5 p.m. Heavy snowfall is expected to continue through Saturday afternoon along with winds over 50 miles per hour.

Mr. Patrick emphasized the need for people to plan to be off the roads early in the day Friday. While he is not ordering people to stay off roads at this point, he said, “I will if I have to.”

As for workers, he said, “I am ordering all non emergency state workers to work from home tomorrow. I am strongly urging private employers to take the same precautions” to keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles and road clearing operations through Saturday.

The governor said 500 National Guard members have been called up to join 500 already on duty. In addition, he said, because National Guard members were scheduled to train this weekend - although the training has been canceled - 5000 to 6000 guard members will report for possible deployment.

He said the latest forecast is that in the most heavily populated areas of the state may see as much as 30 inches of snow and that the National Weather Service is forecasting blizzard conditions.

The governor said the expected rate of snowfall and reduced visibility during the evening rush hour Friday “will make safe travel nearly impossible.”

The state is coordinating with local officials to open “warming centers” and overnight shelters for those without heat and power and the governor said emergency information including finding a shelter is available by dialing 211.

The governor's warnings and the beefed-up precautions in advance of the storm follow two major storms in 2011 that resulted in extended power outages, lasting in some areas for more than a week. Those outages drew fines and complaints against the state’s major utilities.

State officials said all four of the major utilities were calling in additional crews and pre-positioning emergency repair equipment and crews around the state ahead of the storm.

The governor said the fact that the storm is not coming across inland areas along the East Coast means there will be more equipment available from other states to aid in potential power restoration.

Mr. Patrick also said he expects utilities will be far better prepared to cope with large power outages than the 2011 storms, when a lack of crews and faulty coordination hampered getting lights back on.